Turf toe hurting Texans' Walker

Turf toe hurting WalkerTexans DE uncertain if he will play against Colts

CARLTON THOMPSON, Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CDT, Saturday, October 25, 2003

Dom Capers asked heavyweight boxing champion Chris Byrd, an underdog throughout his career, to speak to his team after Friday's practice as a testament to overcoming long odds.

The Texans coach should have asked Byrd to take a few repetitions with a defense that is running short on healthy bodies. The latest concern is Pro Bowl defensive end Gary Walker, who missed his third consecutive practice Friday. Although Capers isn't ruling him out for Sunday's game at Indianapolis, it doesn't look good.

Walker, who missed the first two games of the season because of a shoulder injury, is fighting a bad case of turf toe, an injury that doesn't figure to get much better at the RCA Dome, which has one of the worst AstroTurf playing surfaces in the NFL.

What Walker, doctors and trainers must weigh is whether it makes more sense to play through the pain or give the injury time to heal properly?

"Let's say I push through the pain and make it worse," Walker said. "Where do you draw the line and say, `It's time to let it settle down?' Everyone is going to have different opinions, but I've been in this league, and I've been through a lot. My record is pretty good with people who know me, anyway.

"If I feel like I can play, I'm going to tell them I can play. If I feel like I can't, I'm going to tell them that, too. The main thing is that I have to be honest with them, and they have to be smart with me. Coach Capers is good about those things."

Junior Ioane, who never has started a game in the NFL, will start at left defensive end if Walker can't. In 22 games as coach of the Texans, Capers has not played a player who missed an entire week of practice. While the coach doesn't have a set rule on the issue, he clearly places a high value of the importance of practice.

"You always would like to have a guy practice when he's capable of practicing, but in this day and age, everyone has injuries," Capers said. "That's an area that I really don't get too involved with. I'm going to go straight off what our training and medical staff say in terms of a guy's availability."

Walker's game shoes were fitted with an orthopedic device, but he said they didn't make much of a difference. More tinkering was expected, but barring a miracle invention, nothing is likely to make the toe feel brand-new.

2003 has been trying for Walker, who made the last two Pro Bowls but said he hasn't been 100 percent healthy since before he sprained his left shoulder in an exhibition game Aug. 15 at Dallas. That injury threatened to keep Walker out for as many as four games; he only missed two, choosing to play at less than 100 percent for the good of the team.

But this injury is different. Any type of foot injury can alter the way a person walks or runs, thereby putting undue stress on another part of the leg.

"I've been playing though injuries my whole career," Walker said. "There are certain injuries you can go out there and feel comfortable playing through, but when something is causing a lot of other parts of your body to ache, it's hard to go out."

The shoulder injury caused Walker to miss the last three weeks of practices before the regular season began. Nevertheless, Walker is ready to take issue with anyone who might suggest his injuries could be the result of not being in top shape.

"I can stay positive through this because I know myself," he said. "If I say I can't do something, I can't do it.

"If they question that, they need to check themselves. I've played with injuries all last year and the year before that and the year before that."

Starting right outside linebacker Charlie Clemons also missed his third practice of the week and is unlikely to play Sunday at Indianapolis. Rookie Antwan Peek will fill in.